Canopy for caskets.



' C. E. RICHARDS.

v CANOPY FOR GASKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29, 1915.

Patented June 6, 1916.

WI: tnesses: QM $4 M 9 I CHARLES E. RICHARDS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CANOPY FOR GASKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 29, 1915. Serial No. 5,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. RIoHAnos, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canopies for Caskets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to caskets or coffins; and its object is to provide a canopy for coflins or caskets which will be readily adjustable to caskets of different lengths, and at the same time avoid crowding or binding of the textile material of the canopy in such adjustment; and preferably to have such adjustable canopy foldable or collapsible to occupy a small space within the interior of the casket lid when the canopy is not in use or when the lid is to be closed.

A further object of my invention is to permit of supplying such adjustable canopies to dealers or undertakers independently of the caskets and their lids; so that it will not be necessary for a dealer or undertaker to carry in stock anumber of caskets furnished with canopies and a number of other caskets not furnished with canopies; but so that a stock of canopies of any certain design or any variety of designs may be carried, any one of which may be readily applied to any casket of any size that is carried in stock.

My invention consists in the parts and in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of V a canopy embodying my invention, the textile material of the canopy, however, being omitted and only its inner ends represented by dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through part of the lid of a casket and my improved canopy mounted thereon, the lid being represented as raised and the canopy projected horizontally forward from the upper or free side of the lid as it is intended to be used; the textile material of the canopy being represented by dotted lines only, and also there being dotted lines representing the canopy frame dropped'down inside of the lid at A, and other dotted lines repre senting the canopy frame as collapsed or folded toward the side of the lid upon which it is supported, and in dropped-down position, at B; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section on a line corresponding to the line m-m of Fig. 1 through the canopy frame, the side arm of the frame being represented with parts broken away for lack of space; and

My invention as exemplified herein is any lmprovement embodying certain features of construction set forth and claimed in my Patent No. 789,565 of May 9, 1905, and in my Patent No. 810,569 of January 23, 1906.

This improved canopy comprises back rails 1 and preferably jointed side arms 2 connecting these back rails 1 to front rails 3; with said back rails 1 suitably connected by means whereby they are longitudinally slidable with respectto each other, and said front rails 3 similarly connected, thus providing for adjustment of the length of the canopy.

The means slidably connecting the back rails 1 comprises a back bottom bar 4 underlapping inner end parts of both rails 1 where they come together at the middle of the back of the frame; and having longitudinal slots 5 under these end parts of the respective rails 1, up through each of which slots 5 pass two screws 6 into the under side of the respective rail 1, holding the bottom bar 4v to the rails 1 but permitting each rail 1 to slide longitudinally with respect to this bottom bar 4. The means slidably connecting the underlapping the end parts of the front rails 3 where they come together at the middle of the front of the bar, and having longi tudinal slots 8 under these end parts of the respective rails 3, through each of which slots 8 pass two screws 9 into the under side of the respective rail 3; holding the front bottom bar 7 to the rails 3, but permitting each rail 3 to slide longitudinally with respect to this front bottom bar 7 The screws 6 at the rear and the screws 9 at the front are, respectively, spaced far enough apart to preserve the alinement of the bottom bar in each instance with the rails which it connects, both against sidewise displacement and against vertical dis placement, the heads of the screws bearing against the under sides of the bottom bars or, preferably, as shown in Fig. 3, against interposed washers 10 and 11, respectively, preventing this vertical displacement. Thus, the rear and front frame members, thus made up of the rails connected by the bot- PatentediJune 6, 11916.

tom bars, form a structure which is readily at all adjustments.

adjustable in length, yet is practically rigid Furthermore, the bottom bars 4 and 7, by being adjustably connected to both rails 1 or 3, respectively, are permitted to occupy a position midway of the length of the frame at any adjustment of said length. This is an important advantage of my present invention which will become apparent upon further description.

One of the rear frame rails 1 has, rigidly attached to its rear side, a supporting strip 12 by means of the short overlapping end part 13, the part extending back of the other rail 1 being sulliciently long to overlap this other rail 1 at the maximum adjustment afforded by the slots 5 and screws 6. This supporting strip 12 has its upper edge 14 well above the tops of the rails 1. The front rail 3, at the same end of the frame as is the back rail 1 having the strip 12 attached to it, has, on its upper side, a supporting strip 15 rigidly attached to it by means of an overlapping end part 16 and extending along over the top of the rail 3 a suflicient distanceto overlap this other rail 3 at the maximum 9. The'top of the canopy is made up of the sections 17 and 18, usually of suitable textile material which will readily yield and fold together when the jointed side arms 2 are swung inwardly in collapsing the frame. These sections 17 and 18 have their end parts only indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The section 17 is stretched across between the rail 1 and the rail 3 at the right, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2; and its inner end part is carried by the supporting strips 12 and 15 above described, while the other section 18 is stretched across between the rails 1 and 3 at the left, its inner end part being supported directly on said rails and overlapped by the supporting strips 12 and 15 more or less according to the adjustment of length of the canopy. By this means all interference or crowding of the two sections 17 and 18 of flexible material making up the top of the canopy is avoided at every adjustment of length.

The bottom front rail 7 has, substantially midway of its length, a forward projection 19 which carries, spaced forwardly from the front rails 3, a middle supporting strip 20, which may support a middle section 21 of drapery, while side. sections of drapery 22 may hang down from the front sides of the front rails 3, passingbehind the middle supporting strip 20 in the space between-it and said rails 3, during adjustment of length 'of the canopy, so that there is no interference or crowding of the middle section of drapery 21 and theside sections of drapery 22. The adjustable connecting means of the rails 3, being slidable with respect to both of them and adapted to have this position maintained midway of the length of the frame as before alluded to, permits the mid dle section of drapery 21 to be maintained in the middle of the canopy, thus preserving the symmetry of the draperies making up the front of the canopy.

.Side draperies, such as the drapery 23 in dicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, may hang fro-1n the jointed side arms 2 and fold inward therewith, this arrangement forming no especial part of my present invention.

For readily securing the canopy to the lid 24 of the casket in such a manner that it may be swung horizontally outward or dropped inside of the lid 24, either in extended or folded position as indicated by the dotted lines at A or B, clamping hinges 25 are provided and adjustably connected to the respective back rails 1. Each hinge comprises a yoke 26 with a flat front side 27 from the front of which extends forwardly member 28 and from which extends upwardly a member 29. 7 These members are of wide and flat cross section, 'and with the front side 27 of the yoke 26 form a U-shaped socket within which the respective rail 1 is received, as is best illustrated in Fig. 4. The front member 29 may have an opening through which a screw 30 may be passed into the rail 1 after the yoke has been adjusted longitudinally of the rail to the proper position. To hold this yoke 26 to the rail 1 with its U-shaped socket receiving the rail, a clip 31 of wide and flat cross section extends along the under side of the rail, with upwardly extending parts 32 at its ends which are nailed or otherwise rigidly fastened to the bottom of the rail. Thus the yoke 26 may slide along the rail within the limits of this clip but will always be held to the rail thereby whether the screw 30 has been inserted or not. 7

The yoke 26 also comprises side members 33 extending back from its front member 27 and flanking a substantially semi-cylindrical shell 34 of diameter somewhat greater than 'side members 33 of the yoke 26 near their upper rear corners, which is the region of their greatest backward extension, these side members sloping forwardly downwardly to the bottom of the front member 27 of the yoke. The convex side .of this semi-cylindrical shell 34 has a slot 36 running circumferentially of it for most of the extent of this side, while the shell is so positioned in the yoke that this side with its slot will pass around very close. to. or against the inner side ofthe upper part of the front 27 of the yoke. The front 27 has anopening through which extends a thumb screw 37, which further extends through the slot 36 and receives a suitable nut 38 inside the shell 34. By means of this thumb screw 37 and nut 38 the shell 34 may be clamped rigidly in the yoke 26 at any angular adjustment.

clips 28.

surface of the front side of the casket lid 24. Usually the inner side of this lid 24 of the casket slopes inwardly and upwardly at an angle of about 45, and whatever the slope of this part of the lid is, the attaching lug 39 is extended from the shell 34 at the same angle to the open side of the shell 34;, which is left flat and is adapted to rest against the sloping inside part of the lid. The lugs 39 extend well above the flexible material of the canopy, making them readily accessible for attachment of the canopy to the lid or cover of the casket, or for detachment therefrom. WVhen the shell 34: is thus rigidly fixed to the lid and the yoke 26 is connected to the canopy frame as above described, any angular adjustment of the canopy in a vertical plane may be made, as permitted by the loosening and tightening of the thumb screw 37. Thus, whatever the angle the lid 2 1 has to the casket itself, the canopy may be readily adjusted to extend horizontally over the top of the casket.

Where the canopies are supplied separate from the caskets, to be adjusted to caskets of various lengths, these canopies will be supplied with the clamping hinges 25 loosely connected to them by means of the clips 28 as above described. Then, in applying a canopy to a casket lid, the canopy will be extended to approximately the required length, whereupon the clamping hinges 95 will be attached to the lid by means of the screws 41 at suitable points along the range of longitudinal adjustment allowed by the Then, when the canopy is well supported on the lid by these hinges 25, the final exact adjustment of length of the canopy may be made, as permitted by the sliding of the rails 1 through the U-shaped sockets of the clamping hinges 25; whereupon this exact adjustment of length having been made, the screws 80 may be inserted to fix the rails, 1 in their U-shaped sockets of the hinges. Then the canopy may be folded or dropped inside the lid, allowing the lid to be closed. The angular adjustment of the canopy to the lid may be made finally when the display of the canopy is to be made; this adjustment, as above mentioned, depending upon the inclination which the casket lid assumes with respect to the casket itself.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a canopy for caskets, a frame, means for securing said frame to the cover of a casket, flexible covering material permanently attached to said frame across the top thereof separate from and independently of any casket cover, and means for adjusting the length of said frame and at the same time adjusting said permanently attached covering material therewith, to cause the canopy to fit casket covers of various lengths without disturbing the permanent attachment of said flexible covering material to said frame.

:2. In a canopy for caskets, a collapsible frame, means for securing said frame to the cover of a casket, flexible covering material permanently attached to said frame across the top thereof separate from and independently of any casket cover, and means for adjusting the length of said frame and at the same time adjusting said permanently attached covering material therewith, to cause the canopy to fit casket covers of various lengths without disturbing the permanent attachment of said flexible coveringmaterial to said frame.

8. In a canopy for caskets, a frame, flexible covering material permanently attached to said frame across the top thereof separate from and independently of any casket cover, means for adjusting the length of said frame and at the same time adjusting said permanently attached covering material therewith, to cause the canopy to fit casket covers of various lengths, and means for securing the canopy to the cover of a casket at various angles to the cover without disturbing the permanent attachment of said flexible covering material to said frame.

4:. I11 a canopy for caskets, a frame, flexible covering material permanently attached to said frame across the top thereof separate from and independently of any casket cover, and readily accessible means on said frame for securing the canopy to the cover of a casket, whereby the canopy is completely constructed ready tobe secured to the cover of a casket, or to be removed from that cover and be secured to the cover of another casket, without disturbing the permanent attachment of said flexible covering material to said frame.

5. In a canopy for caskets, a frame, flexible covering material permanently attached to said frame across the top thereof separate from and independently of any casket cover, and means on said frame, accessible the length of the canopy to be made, each section comprising flexible material, and supporting means for said material, and scans comprised in said canopy for spacing the flexible material of one section away from the flexible material of the other section at any adjustment thus made.

8. An adjustable canopy for caskets comprising means for detachably securing it to the cover of a casket, comprising a slidable connection, whereby the length of the canopy may be adjusted while it is secured to said 9. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising a back rail and a front rail, and means for detachably securing said back rail to the cover of a casket, comprising a slidable connection with said back rail, where by the length of the canopy may be adjusted whil it is secured to said cover.

10. An adjustable canopy for caskets comprising means for detachably securing it to the cover of a casket, comprising a slidable connection, whereby the length of the canopy may be adjusted while it is secured to said cover, and comprising means for adjusting the angular position of the canopy with relation to said cover.

11. In a canopy for caskets, a frame compris'iig a plurality of sections permitting adjustment of length of the canopy to be made, and a section adapted to be maintained substantially in the middle of the length of the canopy at any adjustment thus made.

12. In a canopy for caskets, a frame com pising a back rail in a plurality of sections and a front rail in a plurality of sections, permitting adjustment of the length of the canopy to be made, and a section adapted to be maintained substantially in the middle of the length of the canopy at any adjustment thus made.

13. A canopy for caskets comprising means for adjusting its length, and means for detachably securing it to the cover of a casket, and means for securing said canopy to the cover of the casket, comprising a slidable connection with said canopy, whereby the length of the canopy may be adjusted while said canopy is secured to said cover.

14. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising a back rail and a front rail, means for detachably securing said back rail to the cover of a casket, and means for securing said canopy to the cover of a casket, comprising a slidable connection with said back rail, whereby the length of the canopy may be adjusted while said canopy is secured to said cover.

15. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising rails extending from its sides to ward each other at the middle, and a bar overlapping and slidably connected to both of these rails, permitting adjustment of the length of the canopy to be made while maintaining said bar substantially in the middle of the canopy, each of said rails being adapted to support drapery, and means on said bar, spaced away from said rails, to support drapery and permit the drapery supported on said rails to slide behind this means.

16. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising rails extending from its sides toward each other at the middle, and a bar overlapping; and slidably connected to both of these rails, permitting adjustment of the length of the canopy to be made while maintaining said bar substantially in the middle of the canopy, each of said rails being adapted to support material of the top of the canopy, and a strip fixed to one of said rails and intending along above the other rail to support the material carried by this rail over and away from the material carried by the other rail. I

17. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising rails extending-from its sides toward each other at the middle, and a bar overlapping and slidably connected to both of these rails, permitting adjustment of the length of the canopy to be made while maintaining said bar substantially in the middle of the canopy, each of said rails being adapted to support material of the top of the canopy, a strip fixed to one of said rails and extending along above the other rail to support the material carried by this rail over and away from the material carried by the other rail, each of saic rails being adapted to support drapery, and means on said bar, spaced forwardly away from said rails, to support draper and permit the drapery supported on said rails to slide behind this means.

18. Ina canopy for caskets, a frame comprising back rails extending from its sides toward each other at the middle, and a back bar overlapping and slidably connected to said rails, front rails extending from the sides toward veach other at the middle, a front bar overlapping and slidably connected to said front rails, and side arms connected with the respective back and front rails.

19. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising back rails extending from its sides toward each other at the middle, and a back bar overlapping and slidably connected to said rails, front rails extending from the sides toward each other at the middle, a front bar overlapping and slidably connected to said front rails, side arms connected with the respective back and front rails, and means securing said frame to the cover of the casket, comprising a slidable connection With each of said back rails, permitting adjustment of the length of the canopy to be made while said frame is secured to said cover.

20. In a canopy for caskets, a frame comprising back rails extending from its sides toward each other at the middle, and a back bar overlapping and slidably connected to said rails, front rails extending from the sides toward each other at the middle, a front bar overlapping and slidably connected to said front rails, side arms connected with the respective back and front rails, and means securing said frame to said cover, comprising a slidable connection with each of said back rails, and means for adjusting the angular position of said frame with relation to said cover.

21.- In a canopy for caskets, a frame, and draperies supported thereby, respectively, at the sides of its front, and in the middle of its front, and means for making adjustment of the length of said canopy and maintaining the middle drapery substantially at the middle of said front at any adjustment thus made.

22. In a canopy for caskets, a frame, and draperies supported thereby, respectively, at the sides of its front, and in the middle of its front, means for making adjustment of the length of said canopy and maintaining the middle drapery substantially at the middle of said front at any adjustment thus made, and also comprising flexible material forming the top of the canopy, in sections extending from the sides of the canopy toward each other at the middle, and means for supporting one of said sections above and away from the other section at any adjustment thus made.

23. In a canopy for caskets, a frame, and draperies supported thereby, respectively, at the sides of its front, and in the middle of its front, means for making adjustment of the length of said canopy and maintaining the middle drapery substantially at the middle of said front at any adjustment thus made, and also comprising flexible material forming the top of the canopy, in sections extending from the sides of the canopy toward each other at the middle, means for supporting one of said sections above and away from the other section at any adjustment thus made, and means for collapsing said canopy from front to rear.

24. In a canopy for caskets comprising a frame, means for adjustably securing said frame to the cover of the casket, comprising frame to the cover of the casket, comprising a shell and a yoke pivotally connected together, and means for clamping said shell and yoke together at different angular adjustments.

26. In a canopy for caskets comprising a frame, means for securing said frame to the cover of the casket and permitting angular adjustment of the frame with relation to the cover, comprising a semi-cylindrical shell, and means for attaching the shell to the cover with its flat side against the cover and its convex side outward, and a yoke flanking the shell and pivoted thereto concentric with the convex side, with its front adapted to swing over said convex side, said convex side of the shell having a circumferential slot, clamping means extending through the front of the yoke and through said slot, and means on the front for attaching said yoke to the frame.

27. In a canopy for caskets comprising a frame, means for securing said frame to the cover of the casket and permitting angular adjustment of the frame with relation to the cover, comprising a semi-cylindrical shell, and means for attaching the shell to the cover with its fiat side against the cover and its convex side outward, and a yoke flanking the shell and pivoted thereto concentric with the convex side, with its front adapted to swing over said convex side, said convex side of the shell having a circumferential slot, clamping means extending through the front of the yoke and through said slot, means on the front for attaching said yoke to the frame, consisting of a U-shaped socket to flank a part of the frame, and a clip extending longitudinally of the frame under the bottom of the U-shaped socket, whereby the yoke is slidable with respect to the frame but is held to the frame by said socket and clip.

28. In a canopy for caskets comprising a frame, means for securing said frame to the cover of'the casket and permitting angular adjustment of the frame with relation to the cover, comprising a semi-cylindrical shell, and means for attaching the shell to the cover with its flat side against the cover and its convex side outward, and a yoke flanking the shell and pivoted thereto con centric with the convex side, with its front adapted to swing over said convex side, said convex side of the shell having a circumferential slot, clamping means extending through the front of the yoke and through said slot, means on the front for attaching said yoke to the frame, consisting of a U-shaped socket to flank a part of the frame, which fastening means is passed into the and a clip extending longitudinally of the frame part to fix the frame and yoke against frame under the bottom of the U-shaped sliding with respect to each other.

socket, whereby the yoke is slidable With re- CHARLES E. RICHARDS. spect to the frame but is held to the frame WVitnesses: V

by said socket and clip, one side of said JAMES N. RAMSEY,

U-shaped socket having an opening through CLARENCE PERDEW.

Gepiea of thie patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. G. 

